This crispy pork belly (siu yuk) made in the air fryer tastes just as good as the oven method but needs only a fraction of the time to make! No overnight drying, par boiling, or baking soda needed!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr15 minutesmins
Total Time1 hourhr25 minutesmins
Yield: 4servings
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Ingredients
For the pork belly:
1½poundspork bellywhole slab, skin-on (try to pick a slab that's even in thickness if possible)
Make the spice mix:In a small bowl, combine all the spices for the spice mix (brown sugar, five spice, salt, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper). Mix well and set aside.
Prepare the pork belly:Pat dry the pork belly with a clean kitchen towel or paper towels (both the skin side and meaty side).
Flip the pork belly skin side up. Score the skin lightly, just enough to cut through the skin and repeat the cuts across the pork belly, about 1 inch apart. Turn the pork belly 90 degrees and repeat. You can cut it vertically or diagonally. Do make sure to NOT cut into the meaty part of the pork belly!*Cutting into the meat will release juices as the pork belly cook, preventing the pork skin from crisping up. Please refer to the post for photo references scoring the pork belly.*
Flip the pork belly skin side down and lightly score the meaty side of the pork belly. Make shallow cuts about ¼ inch deep across the pork belly, then turn the pork belly 90 degrees and repeat the cuts.
Season the pork belly:Once the pork belly has been scored, generously season the meaty side of the pork belly with the prepared spiced mix. Make sure to season between the cuts too! We used the entire seasoning mix for 1½ pound slab of pork belly.*Do avoid seasoning the pork skin! If any seasoning gets onto the skin, try your best to wipe it off or it will burn.*
Cook the pork belly:Place the seasoned pork belly onto a large sheet of aluminum, skin side up. Wrap the aluminum around the pork belly to cover the sides of the pork belly while keeping the top open. This will hold all the juices and fat as the pork belly cooks.
Dry the skin again if needed and sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of coarse salt on the pork skin. It should be enough to generously cover the skin.
Place the pork belly in the air fryer basket and air fry at 200°F for about 35 minutes. This process is to dry out the skin so that it'll crisp up later.
Once the 35 minutes are up, scrape the salt off the pork belly and brush the pork skin lightly with a nuetral oil. Increase the air fryer temperature to 400°F and air fry for about 40 mintues or until the skin is golden brown and bubbly.
Carefully remove the pork belly from the air fryer basket and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Cut the pork belly to your desired size and serve while hot!
Notes
Please refer to the post for step by step photo reference, tips, and FAQs!
Pork belly - Try your best to find a slab of pork belly that's even in thickness. It'll ensure that the pork belly is evenly cooked. If need be, you can also trim the pork belly so that it's even.
Air fryer - Because every air fryer is made differently, the settings and temperature may vary as well. So if need be, please adjust the cook time and temperature accordingly. Our cook time is based on Power XL 7Qt air fryer.
Rest the pork belly after cooking. It is very important that you let the pork belly rest for about 10 minutes so that the meat can cool down and reabsorb all the juices. This way, the pork belly will stay juicy.